


What would Peggy do?

by keysburg



Series: Agent Carter S2 [9]
Category: Agent Carter (TV)
Genre: Canon Disabled Character, Canon-Typical Violence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Handcuffs, Hurt/Comfort, Interrogation, Kidnapping, Mild Gore, Secret Messages, Spies & Secret Agents, chief sousa gives me life, lots of them for a short fic, mind the change to graphic violence, probably not how truth serum actually works
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-07
Updated: 2016-03-18
Packaged: 2018-05-25 07:43:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6186304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keysburg/pseuds/keysburg
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Some time after the SSR becomes SHIELD, Daniel is kidnapped.  Fortunately he's learned a good bit about what to do-and what not to do-from Peggy.</p><p> </p><p>  <img/></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Daniel woke to a pounding head. He thought he had learned his lesson before; it was a bad idea to try to keep up with Peggy when whiskey was involved. The last time his head hurt so bad, they had drained one bottle and started on a second. He hadn’t made it out of bed before noon. It couldn’t be that late now, could it? He peeled his eyes open to look for the clock, only to have a dim and unfamiliar room spin around him. His eyes slammed shut again. This was much worse than a simple hangover. 

He was lying on a concrete floor, still in the suit and Hawaiian shirt he had been wearing at work. His shoes were gone and his foot loose, but as he moved his arms down from where they were lying above his head, Daniel realized he was chained by the wrists. He stopped moving and tried to think while he waited for the room to stop spinning.

He remembered being in the van again, ostensibly listening to a low-risk mission with Peggy. Daniel was trying to focus but Peggy had been teasing him again. He liked to supervise the missions himself when new staff were involved; it helped him get a feel for their talents. They were boring when everything went well--like most good spywork--but Peggy kept him company when she was free. She liked to hold his hand, saying it reminded her of another time in another van. The one that had changed everything for them. The way she gripped his hand--his thumb--reminded him of a far more intimate touch, and she knew it. She knew just how to stir him up and liked doing it. It had a predictable effect: when the job was over and they were home, they could enjoy a very _rewarding_ conclusion to the evening. 

She still had a grip on his hand, squeezing the base of his thumb in Morse Code (88-88-88) while they waited for the cut-out to appear. The speakers started to feedback. Daniel heard Agent Cho pulling the greenhorn back before the sound died altogether. 

He and Peggy moved almost in unison to exit the van and get around the corner. They sidled up to the backdoor of the bar. It gave him no small amount of satisfaction when they fell to positions without discussion. He always got a little thrill when they worked together as if they were one mind. Peggy took point and he moved to cover her, then his lights had gone out.

There was no way of knowing how long he had been there or how long it was before the ache in his head subsided enough to get his eyes open again. It was somewhat brighter now, the room being illuminated from a small window set high up in the wall above him. It was covered with a metal grating. There was no light coming from around the metal door or it’s small window, so it was either dark in the hall or the window was covered on the outside. Either way Daniel probably wasn’t being observed at the moment. 

He sat up, carefully, trying not rustle the chain that ran between the handcuffs on his wrists and through a loop bolted into the floor. He had about four feet of chain total, enough to stand, to reach the nearby bucket that was probably supposed to serve as a latrine. He could also reach a canteen that had been set nearby, but was still a foot or so short of the door. Altogether it indicated someone that was prepared to take prisoners, and maybe hold them for a relatively long time. 

Well, hell.

Daniel took slow sips from the canteen as he thought. The actual mission they had been on last night was supposed to be straightforward. An anonymous person had claimed to have information for the SSR and had made arrangements to deliver it via the cut-out. They hadn’t given many details about what the information included; only that it had something to do with Communist cells in L.A. Normally they would require more assurance that the informant had something actionable before arranging a drop of this type. But the Red implication alone was enough to force them to take it seriously, even in absence of detailed information. Looking back now, it was an excellent way to get them to expose themselves. The mandate to investigate all Communist related activity was a strict one and probably left every agency open to this type of manipulation. Either way, it didn’t tell him anything helpful about why he was here now.

No crutch in sight, but it was surprising he still had his prosthetic leg. They had taken his shoes, belt and holster and emptied his pockets. Of course they wouldn’t know that Daniel had a few emergency supplies stashed in the hollow of the leg. Still, taking it would have ensured that he would find escape difficult if not impossible. Were they just that confident in their security? A bit squeamish about removing it? Looking at dark stains on the floor around him, Daniel had to doubt the second possibility. Although even men who were used to killing could be unsettled by injuries as dramatic as his. They might be planning on keeping him long enough that he had to stand, or walk. 

He had two options. He could break out the emergency supplies and see about escaping, or he could wait and gather more information. Escape attempts were usually more successful when attempted early in captivity. Daniel knew what Peggy would do, in his place. She’d already have the door open, even if she was fighting the nausea and vertigo from the drugs that still hadn’t quite worn off.

Peggy was why he had to wait. 

The careful assessment of his current situation had been a way of avoiding what he already knew. Peggy had been with him when he had been captured; she might be in another cell like this right now. Daniel could try and make a break for it, but he had no idea what waited on the other side of the door. Trying it now would mean focusing on escape to the exclusion of other goals. Looking for Peggy or his other men would slow him down, wasting the one advantage he had right now: surprise.

Daniel sat and sipped the water, waiting as his nausea finally lessened and the pounding in his head faded.


	2. Chapter 2

It was hours before he finally heard footsteps in the hallway. Keys jingled in the lock and then the door swung open. The man who entered Daniel’s cell didn’t look anything like the goon he had been expecting. Instead of someone large and threatening, the man who entered was diminutive with a suit that was well tailored and perfectly neat. He didn’t even look at Daniel until he had settled in a chair placed just out of Daniel’s arm’s reach. 

They regarded each other silently for several minutes. Daniel tried to focus on what he could learn from the other man’s posture and bearing rather than on how grimy he suddenly felt. There weren’t many clues in the man’s expensive shoes and watch. Daniel catalogued his appearance while he waited out the silent treatment. His bearing was calm and possessed, no sign of nerves. Height, no more than 5’2”. Weight, maybe 115 lbs. His eyes and hair were a light brown, the later short and neat. He could be anywhere between 35 and 50 and had no identifying marks that Daniel could see. This man would blend into a crowd. 

When that wore thin, he started considering what Peggy would do right now. Her first instinct would be to play dumb and innocent; a look that worked far better for her than Daniel. He’d already lost the opportunity for that gambit anyway. To play it like that, he would have had to start talking right away. Sizing up the man and waiting out the silent treatment was signalling his knowledge and experience.

He had to doubt it would be effective anyway. Something about the man and the room spoke to a certain amount of intelligence and preparation--which meant Peggy would probably go to plan B and try to beat the hell out of the man. He had to smile, thinking about that. The other man narrowed his eyes when Daniel’s expression changed. 

“You’re obviously very skilled, Chief Sousa,” the man said eventually. “So I won’t beat around the bush. Where can I find Peggy Carter?” 

Daniel wasn’t sure he managed to keep his face neutral, although he tried. His heart sang inside. They didn’t get Peggy. 

“I haven’t the slightest idea.” 

The other man sighed.

“You can’t honestly expect me to believe you don’t know where your own wife is. I know she’s a handful. She outranks you and kept her own last name. You might not be wearing the pants, but you’re still a smart man. Tell me where your rendezvous point is.” 

“That’s quite a tone shift, buddy. First a compliment, than an insult. You might want to pick an approach and stick with it.” 

“How’s this for a tone? If you tell me, I don’t have to go torture it out of Agent Cho next door.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t start with that, honestly. But it wouldn’t do you any good. He doesn’t know.” Daniel couldn’t help but smirk a little. 

“Would you tell me to spare his life?” 

“You seem to know a lot, so I’m sure you know the SHIELD policy on hostages.” 

“Right. Well, we’ll see how those policies hold up with a little chemical persuasion.” He got up and knocked on the door. A goon more like Daniel expected came in, holding a firearm on him. The man in the chair got up and drew a syringe from the inner pocket of his coat. 

“Normally I like to know the name of the men getting me potted.” Daniel winced when the man roughly pushed up his coat sleeve and injected him.

“You can call me William. See you in 20 minutes.”

The odd taste rising in the back of his mouth confirmed what Daniel already suspected. Truth serum. Well, he didn’t need to think about what Peggy would do here. They had administered this drug to him a few times after his war injury. It was supposed to be good for shell shock but it had only really resulted in Daniel saying inappropriate things to his long-suffering nursing staff. His reaction and profound embarrassment afterward convinced them there were better treatment options. If Peggy was here, she would have been wildly amused at what was going to happen next.

Daniel was trying to remember why it was a bad idea to get his pants off, open up his leg, and get the hell out of there when William re-entered the room. The man checked Daniel’s pulse and eyes before sitting back down in the chair.

“Alright, Daniel. Where can I find Peggy Carter?” 

“Looking for me, of course. She’s going to be angry. It’s not going to be good for you. Better to just forget this whole thing and let me go. Not that it will help. Have you seen her arrest rate? She always gets her man.” Daniel smiled. “I’m not sure you knew what you were getting into. But then, they never do. Always underestimating my girl--” 

It was a relief when William cut him off. His babbling was evidence the drugs were working, loosening his inhibitions. 

“Will you tell me if it means saving Agent Cho’s life?”

“I would hate for you to kill him. He’s my employee, I’m responsible for him, and I’d have to carry that the rest of my life. But it’s against policy for good reason and I’m also afraid you’ll kill us both once you get your answer. So no, I don’t think so. You might think torture would help, but it just puts us back in the same place. Will, buddy, a successful interrogation starts with finding out what your subject wants. I want a shower and a slice of pizza, but not bad enough to tell you about Peggy. You’ve got nothing to offer me right now.” _Damn, Daniel,_ he thought to himself. _You’re giving away too much._ The key to avoiding disaster was to listen for the topic of the question and not the point of it. He couldn’t help responding, but he could respond to the wrong things. 

“We’ll see about that won’t we? I know you want to help her get the best of me. Letting me find her will give her the opportunity. Where can I find Peggy?”

“I know where I want to find her. Home, in bed. We might still be there if you hadn’t rudely kidnapped me, you know. Peggy can be very demanding, but I enjoy the challenge. She sleeps with a firearm under the pillow, though. So that’s not a very good place to try and catch her. Well, for you. It usually works out very well for me. This kind of reminds me of one time, because there were handcuffs there too--”

William made a sound of disgust as he got up to knock on the door again. He left him there, clearly not listening as Daniel recounted his favorite liaison with Peggy.

Yes, the nurses hadn’t appreciated his story about that one French girl, either. It was a good thing the drug wore off quickly.


	3. Chapter 3

It was difficult to say when the drugs wore off exactly. He waited for the itch to take action to subside. That was the drugs, the impulsiveness. Peggy would have acted, but Daniel tried to consider all the courses of action open to him. The door was a hard target, the walls perhaps softer but certainly slower. The window was too small for escape. 

Peggy would get Cho free as her first priority. It would probably be easier for one of them to get away than both of them and easiest for the man with two legs. More so, since his crutch was nowhere in sight. Peggy also wouldn’t let William, whoever he was, get away. She wouldn’t hesitate to stay behind, and would also try and play against her captor’s expectations. 

Daniel knew exactly what to do. 

He waited until he was sure the drugs had worn off, not wanting his judgement to be impaired. It was a risk since William would probably be back right around the time they were expected to wear off. Maybe with leverage. Time to focus. 

Standing up, Daniel popped open the button on his trousers and unzipped his fly, dropped his pants. The idea of his skin touching the dirty and stained floor made his skin crawl. Instead of sitting back down, he balanced on his left leg as he unbuckled his prosthetic and detached it from the stump of his thigh. 

The original design for his hidey-hole required him to wedge the socket into the rest of the device, which made it tricky to remove in damp conditions or when his hands were sweaty. Stark had better ideas - and the ability to machine parts to fit. He hit the depressed catch just under the lip of the socket, disengaging the two pieces. 

There wasn’t that much room in the prosthetic between Stark’s fancy knee joint and the socket, but there was room for a few bits and bobs to be secured so they wouldn’t rattle. From the inside Daniel took a book of matches, a small spool of deceptively strong thread, and several picks for locks. Finally, out of the bottom he pried a carefully wrapped coil of plastic explosive, not even as big as a tin of chewing tobacco. The small items went into the pockets of his jacket while he snapped the prosthetic back together and put it on, pulled on his pants.

Daniel was sorely missing the hotwire, gone with his belt. It would have been a much quicker escape from the handcuffs than trying to pick it with half a set of lock picks at an odd angle. The lock on the cuffs wasn’t particularly delicate and he managed to pop it after a couple minutes of concentration. He carefully set the cuffs and chain on the floor before standing again. 

The door was smooth on the inside and fit pretty well flush with the jamb. When the door had opened Daniel had noticed two locking mechanisms, the door catch and a separate thicker deadbolt, but they were set close together. It was a good thing. He probably didn’t have enough plastic explosive for more bolts or for a door that had locking bars at the top and bottom.

He smashed all the plastic explosive against the door, trying to get as much of it into the narrow crack between the jamb as possible. He tucked one end of the string into it and played it out from the coil as he backed as far from the door as the room would let him go. He said a prayer, lit a match to the end of the string, and turned away, putting his fingers in his ears. 

Blowing things to hell wasn’t his first inclination, but he understood what Peggy found so satisfying about it. There was a hellish squeal of metal under the noise of the explosion, but the heavy door swung open when he turned around. 

He moved carefully into an unlit hall, heard footsteps on the floor above his head. He appeared to be in a subsection of a partially sunken basement, with only one other room off the hall. Peeking in the window, he found Agent Cho. 

It was much easier to pick both the door and the deadbolt than shackles around his own wrists. Agent Cho looked only a little worse for wear, and very relieved, when Daniel entered. Daniel spoke quickly while he worked on the man’s shackles.

“Agent Cho, we’re going to run protocol 1143. Tell the Assistant Director to go to location 88. And don’t forget to tell her she is the target.”

“Why am I telling her, Chief? AD Carter will have my hide if show up without you and tell her that’s the play. You should go, I’ll be the duck. I’d rather be a dead duck than have to face her if this flops.” Cho picked up the chain as Daniel freed him.

“You don’t even know where location 88 is, Agent. It’s an order. You see your opening and you get out of here. Let’s go.”

They didn’t make it out of the room before they heard the goons enter the hall. They were moving quietly, without talking, but their footfalls still made enough sound for a relative idea of their position. Daniel waved Cho to the left side of the door, taking the right so he could push off his left leg for the attack. The goons paused before Daniel’s empty room before continuing on to Cho’s. 

Fortunately, the door wasn’t big enough for more than one of them to enter at a time. Goon One entered, sweeping his firearm straight toward Daniel. He crouched below the line of fire and shoved his shoulder into the man’s ribs, under his arms and the gun. At the same time, Cho brought the chain down around Goon One’s throat and threw himself backward. The goon dropped his revolver, hands going to his throat in panic as they toppled over, away from Daniel. 

Goon Two had stayed a safe distance back, which was unfortunate because Daniel was now exposed to him, off balance. Daniel dropped and rolled instinctually, landing hard on his right hip while kicking out with his good leg. The landing hurt like hell and distracted him from the two shots that hissed through the air above him. Goon Two hadn’t been expecting the kick that connected solidly to his ankle, and he buckled from the strike as Daniel fumbled for the gun Goon One had dropped. 

Adrenaline, terror and pain slowed time to a crawl. Goon Two was falling forward onto his knees, arms going out to catch himself. Daniel’s left hand landed on the barrel of the gun. He grabbed it, bringing it up to smash it into the face of the goon, now in reach. The man cried out in pain but started bringing his gun up. Daniel hit him with the revolver twice more, feeling a sickening crack as the man’s cheekbone crumbled from the blows.

Goon Two slumped to the floor on Daniel’s side, unconcious. Taking his firearm too, Daniel looked over to see Cho releasing the chain around Goon One’s neck. Cho’s goon was breathing but also out, his weight was pinning Cho to the floor. 

“Little help?” Agent Cho said into the silence that followed the struggle. Daniel helped roll the dead weight of the man off him. He and Cho both struggled to their feet and they did a quick search of the pockets of one man each, coming up empty. 

There was no railing on the staircase running up into the house. Daniel took his pride firmly in hand and let Cho support him in the interest of expediency. They came up into a kitchen that appeared bare and mostly uninhabited. There was a door into the yard, and after looking out the windows, Daniel waved Cho outside. 

The backyard was empty and surrounded by a wooden fence. Cho took a quick peek around the house and reported a single man on the front walk, apparently acting as lookout. 

“Can you get over the fence?” Daniel asked. “I’ll distract the guy out front. Run--and don’t look back.”

“I can do the fence. I still don’t like it, Chief.” 

Daniel felt a fierce smile split his face. He wondered if Peggy felt like this when she committed to a plan of action. He was certain she did.

“I’m not giving you a choice. Go.” He walked slowly, carefully, into the front yard, not able to move very fast without his crutch. Cho made it over the fence and through the yard next door before Daniel made it up the side yard. When he vanished from Daniel’s peripheral vision, it was time. 

The lookout goon turned white as a sheet as Daniel came around the corner of the house, gun raised. Daniel had to smile. He knew that feeling all too well--hearing something gone wrong, men go to check it out--and they don’t come back. It was satisfying to inflict that on his kidnappers, and he knew Peggy would agree. He opened his mouth to say something smart but didn’t get it out. Everything went black again.


	4. Chapter 4

Waking up from William’s knock out drugs was even worse the second time. The movement didn’t help, the rough floor rocking underneath him. The stench of blood and effluvia probably had something to do with the increased nausea, if not the headache. When Daniel opened his eyes, he was looking into the eyes of the man he had pistol-whipped. The man stared unseeing, a new bullet hole in his forehead to go with the ghastly crushed face. Daniel’s stomach twisted as he slammed his eyes shut again, rolling away from the corpse. If he had eaten recently, he probably would have vomited. He took shallow breaths through his mouth until he brought himself under control again. Peggy wouldn’t throw up. Peggy would regret the necessity of injuring the man, but she wouldn’t blame herself.

“You really did a number on Mr. Lynghammar, there. I’m afraid his injuries limited his usefulness to this demonstration. Are you feeling any more cooperative yet?” William’s voice was calm and measured, but shifted with the occasional bump. They were in the back of a truck, Daniel decided. That was good; it meant Cho had gotten away. No need to move away from your own private dungeon unless someone knows where it is. 

“That,” Daniel answered slowly, “is definitely not the pizza I asked for.”

“You’re responsible for a man’s death, Chief Sousa, and you’re still making jokes?”

“He’d still be alive if he didn’t help you kidnap and imprison me.” Daniel sat up carefully. His hands were cuffed again, this time the chain connected to an ankle cuff on his real ankle. Still breathing through his mouth, he made himself open his eyes to look at William. The man was looking at him a bit curiously.

“Would it dampen your humor to hear I contacted the authorities and they wouldn’t offer anything in exchange for your safe return?”

“I warned you. SHIELD doesn’t negotiate.”

“I thought if anything, Assistant Director Carter would break that covenant for her darling husband. Perhaps she secretly finds you as tiresome as I do.” 

Daniel just smiled at that. 

“Are you going to get on with threatening to do me like Lynghammar? I’m pretty sure there’s a good joke in there too.”

“I’m not going to do that, Daniel. I’m also not going to threaten to do that to your sisters, or their children, or your favorite cover agent, Ms. Rose Roberts. I could, but I don’t think it would get me very far. Instead I’m going to offer you what you want, per your own suggestion.”

“I told you the pizza wouldn’t be enough. And I’m not really very hungry right now.” He wasn’t going to look at the corpse next to him. Or think about it. 

“Not pizza. Information. I’m sure you’re interested in knowing why I want Carter.”

“I do want to know who hired you, actually,” Daniel replied. 

“How do you know I was hired? I could have a personal mission or vendetta.” 

“I know your type. Too calm to be on a personal mission, too casual about the death of your men. Too prepared to take captives, even if your interrogation skills are lacking.” 

“Well, even if it’s true, I can’t just tell you who I work for. That wouldn’t be fun at all. What I can do is promise to answer three yes-or-no questions about my employer,” William said. 

“I’m not sure that’s a good enough reason to tell you anything. It’s not like I’ll be able to verify your answers.”

“No, but you want this to move along, just as I do. We can ride around with Mr. Lynghammar for another couple hours instead, if you want.”

Daniel pretended to consider it for a few minutes.

“If you don’t know the answer to any of my questions, I get another one. And I’ll need some time to consider my questions, if I only get three. I need to concentrate, so I think we should ditch Lynghammar. As a sign of good faith.” Other than the whole corpse issue, this was mostly going to plan. Better, maybe. Daniel hadn’t expected William to give up anything willingly. 

“And you’ll tell me where I can find Peggy Carter?” William asked. Daniel nodded solemnly in reply. 

The truck stopped. When the doors swung open, they were in a nondescript alley with no signs Daniel could see. Two men dragged the corpse from the back of the truck and deposited it in a dumpster. Then the doors closed again. The smell was only mildly improved as the corpse leaked fluids as it went. Daniel tried not to think about it. After a moment, the motion of the truck resumed.

“Three questions, Chief Sousa,” William said.

“Okay. Is the person who hired you employed by or otherwise working on behalf of a foreign government?” 

“No. I’m afraid in the case of our little set-up last night, Communism was just a red herring.” William smiled, for once. It was unsettling. 

“Is the person who hired you someone Peggy has tangled with before?”

“Yes.” This would narrow the field of suspects somewhat. There were only so many independent contractors that Peggy had made enemies with, although Daniel was well aware he hadn’t ruled out someone within the SHIELD or the US Government. But there was a more important question to ask before. Peggy wouldn’t waste her final question like this, but he couldn’t help it. 

“Are your orders to kill Peggy?”

“I’m not sure that fits in the bounds of our agreement, Chief Sousa. I agreed to answer questions about my employer’s identity.”

“You agreed to answer questions about your employer, generally. You didn’t explicitly limit it to identity.” Daniel pointed out.

“I suppose that’s true. No, Daniel. They don’t want her dead, or at least not by my hand. So tell me where to find her.”

Daniel sighed. He’d have to ask Peggy what she did when she found her own plans distasteful. He’d seen her conceive enough terrible ideas to know she went on with it. He just didn’t know how.

“Santa Monica. The pier.” 

“You’re going to tell me SHIELD has some sort of operations center in an amusement park?” William asked.

“I’m telling you we’ll find Peggy there. You didn’t ask me anything about SHIELD.”

“Fine, Chief Sousa. But if you’re just trying to get me to finally buy you that pizza, you are going to be sorely disappointed.”


	5. Chapter 5

When they arrived at the pier, Daniel was surprised to get his crutch back. No explanation was forthcoming other than William making a little “after you” gesture with his sidearm before tucking it into a newspaper. They were accompanied by Goon One, with a nice red mark around his neck, and the goon from outside. Goon One gave him an evil look, but Daniel thought the outside goon looked pretty wary. Nearby he noted four men getting out of another truck. They didn’t look like they were headed for fun times on the pier; they looked like men on the job. William’s back up, he assumed.

Daniel resisted the urge to look for SHIELD people he might recognize. If he made them, William’s men might too. Instead, he took his time walking to the midway. It had been a beautiful day and there were plenty of people around, buying tickets for rides, eating hot dogs and cotton candy, enjoying themselves. Daniel went almost to the end, close enough to see the blue water of the Pacific behind the different booths. The sun was setting as he stopped in front of the one booth that was closed. 

The shooting gallery.

Since it was closed, the guns were removed from their latches on the countertop. The stools in front remained bolted in place. Daniel sat on the end, in front of the station marked with an eight. 

“Eight?” William asked. “Not lucky number seven?”

“Lucky seven plus one more, just in case,” Daniel replied. It was a relief to get off his leg, bruised from the struggles earlier and aching like hell after the walk over. He reached up and knocked on the board covering the window into the gallery. Six steady knocks, a pause, and two more. Then he spun the stool around to put his back to the counter, facing the row of booths opposite and the Ferris wheel behind them. Its lights had just gone on, bright against the darkening midnight blue sky of dusk. 

Daniel knew his Peg would know what he meant when he told Cho location 88, and no one else would. It was entirely possible William had someone inside SHIELD. Signalling her to a location they had never used would tip her to that as well. He hoped she’d send others to fetch him though, not come herself, as she was the target. She was no longer as reckless as she had been when they first started working at the SSR. Time and experience had made her somewhat more cautious, and she had learned to think things through just as he’d learn to take a few more risks. Maybe she’d learned her lesson about hazarding herself for him.

Miracles did happen, after all. 

Of course that’s not what Peggy did. She melted out of the crowd, walking at an unhurried pace. Her eyes scanned him, though her face was a mask. She stopped about ten feet short of where William and the goons stood before him.

“How are you, my love?” she asked, ignoring the others completely. 

“Right as rain, _minha linda_. And you?” It was odd using their private terms of endearment in public. But strange things had happened and stranger times might be on the way. For now they each knew the other was safe and sound, in mind and in body. 

“I’m quite cross with you, actually. First you go and get yourself kidnapped. Then you don’t even really try to get away when you have an opportunity. What on Earth were you thinking, Daniel?” Peggy asked. William started to look around at that comment. Meanwhile Daniel was working on removing the gadget that had been taped to the underside of the countertop without attracting notice.

“I was doing what I thought you would do, sweetheart. Mislead my captor and control the situation. I think I did a pretty good job.” A familiar package dropped into his hand, still behind his back under the counter. He winked at his wife to let her know he had it. 

“We’ll see about that when we get home, darling. William? If you’re wondering why your men aren’t sweeping me up, they are all quite busy for now. Please put your gun down.” Daniel waited the for the sign.

“A set-up, huh? Smart, using a crowded location where I couldn’t see my men go down. There’s still three of us here though, and we’re more than willing to injure innocent bystanders to drag you out of here with us, Ms. Carter. We won’t have to do that, and we’ll leave your husband here if you’ll come willingly. Please don’t make a fuss--” William said. 

The goons started to slide toward the ground, boneless, on “willingly.” Daniel had the wands of the memory inhibitor to William’s temples before he finished his sentence. As soon as he triggered the device, Daniel shifted it to one hand and tugged the revolver out of the man’s hand. Peggy was already close. As William came out of the little blank caused by the gadget, she socked him square in the face. He dropped. 

Agents rushed in and Peggy started giving orders. As soon as the unconscious men had been searched and secured on stretchers, she stepped over to Daniel and shoved him back against the shooting gallery booth. She kissed him, just as bruising and rough as he knew it would be. He loved it, needed it, and wrapped his arms around her to drag her closer still. Somebody nearby cleared their throat--several times, he noted dimly--before she pulled back to break the kiss. 

“Couldn’t get three marksmen with tranquilizers in place all at once, huh?” Daniel asked. He still held her loosely by the waist, his eyes unable leave her face. 

“I wasn’t willing to commandeer more than one car on the Ferris wheel,” she answered, waving behind her. “With just one car they couldn’t be spotted before it rose above the booths. And this way I was sure to get to hit someone.” 

He had to smile at that and ducked in to steal another kiss. This one she broke off quickly, not having finished with him.

“I had no idea how many men he’d have around him anyway. We’re just lucky it wasn’t more.” She pinched his side to emphasize that comment. “You rash, irresponsible, _reckless_ , beautiful man. I could strangle you. In the future, I’d prefer it if you considered your safety first and the mission second.” Peggy was acting annoyed, but she seemed nowhere near agitated enough to really be angry with him. 

“Like you always do?” he teased. “Not to mention it would mean leaving a dangerous man on the loose. After you.” His actions had been risky, and he knew that. Under many circumstances the risks he’d tolerate were still smaller than hers, but this was not and would never be one of them. 

“But really, Daniel? Here of all places? This is our spot.” Peggy went on. An uncharitable man might accuse her of pouting.

“I knew I could get you here without revealing anything. It has the crowds. It’s difficult to watch all the entrances but not impossible with enough people. Besides, it’s just another good memory to add.” He reached back to pat the countertop with his left hand. 

“Yes, and quite a romantic addition too. You, held at gunpoint by kidnappers--on the very spot you first told me you loved me.” She was fighting it, but a smile was starting to break through. 

“I told you I loved you after you won me a third gigantic teddy bear and got yourself barred from the shooting gallery once and for all time. You decking a man here--coming to my rescue--seems fitting to me,” he said, smirking. 

“I hate to encourage your stubbornness, but you might be right,” Peggy said, finally returning his smile. “I’ve always quite liked being the knight in shining armor, after all. Although this is not how I wanted to spend today.”

“Then what will our next great adventure be? Interrogating the hell out of that smug son-of-a-bitch, I hope.” 

Peggy snorted softly through her nose.

“From what Agent Cho tells me, he’s going to be a hard target. He can wait until tomorrow, or next week. Next month maybe, I don’t care. So it depends. Besides stubborn, infuriating, and heroic, how are you feeling?”

“I’m starving. And sore and awfully tired, for being knocked out most of the day.”

“Then let’s go home.”


	6. Chapter 6

The pizza at the pier was questionable, to say the least. Daniel happily settled for a couple steaming hot tamales and a cold beer, purchased from a vendor cart as they exited. Impatient and hungry, he burned his mouth trying to eat them as Peggy drove them home. He filled her in between bites, giving her the highlights (or lowlights as it were) of the day. She was uncharacteristically quiet, letting him get everything off his chest with no commentary. She just made the occasional go-on noise accompanied by a wince here and there, and a snort when he mentioned the truth serum incident.

“I still don’t know how they snuck up on me. Did you see anything?” Daniel asked when he was finished. 

“No. I was already inside and scanning the bar when I realized you were gone. Whatever happened to spook Cho was over, so I doubled back to look for you, and you had vanished. Cho met me at the van with his greenie and said he had seen someone and intended to pursue him. I didn’t see anyone, so I let him go. Your green man was panicking. I did what I knew you would do if you were still there: shoved him in the back of the van, locked us in, and called for back-up.”

“Really? No attempt to charge to the rescue?”

“If I had any idea of how to do so, I would have. With no idea what I was up against, it didn’t seem like a good idea to charge off into the night. Please don’t look at me like that Daniel, I’ll admit your approach is better in certain situations.”

“I’m glad,” he said with feeling. “No wonder Cho wanted to stay with William instead, after he vanished like that. You didn’t hurt him when he showed up without me, did you?” 

“No, but I rather think I scared the hell out of him. If he didn’t have a message that was clearly from your lips, I would have thought him a traitor.” Peggy smirked. “He put in for vacation time as soon as he was debriefed. I granted it in your stead.”

When they pulled up to the house, she went in and let him follow at his own pace. He finished his beer while admiring his lawn, taking just a few steps at a time--and checking to make sure they hadn’t been followed, of course. Everything on the street was how it should be, and he was relieved to see it. 

Inside, Peggy had already left him the necessary things in the bathroom, including a trash bag. His suit was dark enough; the stains hadn’t shown badly at the pier, but it had picked up a terrible odor as well. He would be just as happy never to see it again. Daniel felt the same about the Hawaiian shirt he was wearing. It had been one of his favorites, but after wearing it for longer than twenty four hours and getting it splattered with blood, it too went into the trashbag. 

Taking off his clothes seemed to invite all his aches and pains to demand the attention he had been withholding. He took some aspirin before sitting on the chair next to the tub. Removing his prosthetic, he found he was just as bruised as he had expected, from his hip all the way under where the socket covered his thigh. He cleaned and disinfected the socket of the prosthetic and threw the stump sock in the garbage too. Then it was finally, finally time to get under the hot shower and let it wash away this terrible day. Peggy was pretty adamant about having some post-mission decompression time, and Daniel had to admit she had a point. It was a relief to have some time alone to let everything sink in. He was home, he was safe, and everything was fine. He sat on his shower stool under the stream until it started to grow cool. 

The hot water and the aspirin helped his aches if not his weariness. At least it was easier to get into his bedclothes than it had been to get out of his suit. Peggy had laid out one of his softest t-shirts and his favorite shorts, the ratty ones with the holes from getting caught when he shoved his prosthetic on. She left him a stump sock too: his favorite green and orange one. His sister had knitted it for him before he first left for L.A. And his extra crutch was handy as well, the one he left by the bed. He normally used it only on trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night when it was inconvenient to strap on the prosthetic. 

When he went into the bedroom, Peggy was already there, reading. She popped out while he got settled in bed, returning with an ice pack for his hip and thigh. He shivered at the contact even through his shorts and sock, so she covered him with an extra blanket before hitting the lights. She slid under the covers and he put an arm around her so she could settle against his left side, head tucked under his chin. They lay like that for a few minutes in the cool dark before he spoke. 

“I can tell there’s something you want to say. You aren’t really mad at me, are you? You must have had a hard time when I was gone.” 

“Well, it’s all worked out. You’re right, I’m not used to being the one safe while you’re the one taking risks.” Peggy paused. “I tried to act as you might: calmly, rationally, using my resources to the best purpose. I looked for more information instead of rushing ahead. But there was something additional I had to deal with. I was trying to get up the nerve to tell you in the van when everything went to hell. And then I was afraid I might not even get the chance.” Her hand moved, seeking out his under the covers. She wrapped her fingers around his thumb again, and squeezed. 88.

“One for you,” she said, before squeezing again. 88. “One for me…” 88. “And…”

Daniel swallowed.

“And baby makes three?” he whispered.

**Author's Note:**

> This story was actually inspired by the recent Sleepy Hollow episode "Incident at Stone Mountain" and then the idea just became more relevant with the last two episodes of Carter :D
> 
> Daniel tells Peggy about the French girl here https://archiveofourown.org/works/5865241 (rated M)
> 
> I always had the end set at the pier but the meaning and such is stolen & embellished from a fic by @bookishandbossy: http://archiveofourown.org/works/6178753
> 
> Stump sock stolen from @Paeonia's Lonely Town http://archiveofourown.org/works/5006851
> 
> Thanks to lillianfromaccounting for beta duty and encouragement at the end. 
> 
> Also thanks to Paeonia for a rather long and detailed conversation about peggysous and pet names.
> 
>  
> 
> I write Daniel stuff but if someone would like to take a crack at Peggy's side of things, please have at it.
> 
>  [Suggested Reading Order for my canon compliant post S2 fics](http://katiekeysburg.tumblr.com/post/162241330814/ever-wonder-what-order-my-post-season-2-agent)


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